Joseph Gordon-Levitt Movie Reviews

You can figure that someone has made it in Hollywood when they are in just about every movie you see. Three movies in the past week have demonstrated this to me about Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Here are their mini-reviews:

The Dark Knight Rises

I have watched the previous two Christian Bale/Christopher Nolan Batman movies and enjoyed them both. This one continues the Batman’s story eight years later with us seeing an older Bruce Wayne who hasn’t been the Batman in a while. We are also introduced to a new villain: Bane. Along the way we meet an idealistic police officer, John Blake played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) played by Anne Hathaway.

The best parts of the movie included Blake and Kyle (separately as they don’t share screen time). They really delivered on their roles and the result left me wanting an Anne Hathaway Catwoman movie and a sequel for Blake’s character. The Dark Knight Rises does run on a little long and you are annoyed with some of the plot twists as everything has to go wrong before they can start going right again. I give Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway four Mick Happies and The Dark Knight Rises 3.5.

Movie Trailer

Premium Rush

This is the story of a bike messenger in New York, Wilee, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who picks up a letter to deliver. The letter happens to be of interest to a particularly nasty crooked police officer that spends the movie trying to get it from Wilee. This is high adrenaline chase through New York with thrills and spills. I fast forwarded a couple of the chase scenes, but particularly liked the bicycle police office (not the crooked one) who runs across Wilee several times and tries to catch him for causing an accident. It gives some of the few comedic moments of the film.

Premium Rush is fun and will have you on the edge of your seat at times. Michael Shannon, who plays the bad guy, is particularly nasty at times (in a well acted way). Premium Rush gets 3 Mick Happies.

Movie Trailer

Looper

I like Time Travel movies. Looper is a Time Travel movie where (in the future) some people are hired by seedy underworld types to be Loopers. Loopers are assassins who kill people sent back in time from the future by organized crime bosses. Since time travel is outlawed, the Loopers eventually have to kill themselves when their future selves are sent back in time to maintain the secret that time travel is being used. The pay-off for doing it is a lot of money to live on for the next 30 years until they catch you and send you back in time to die. With me so far?

This somewhat interesting premise eventually devolves into Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character Joe meeting his future self and not closing the loop (killing him). This leads to a must kill someone in the past to save people in the future plot that is the second half of the movie. There are some interesting questions posed by the film: would you take a rich life now knowing you have to die in 30 years? If you met yourself from the future – would you care more about your current needs or listen to your future self about what is the best thing to do?

I would have liked a different plot to the second half of the movie and thus a different ending, but the movie is okay as is. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a really good impersonation of a younger Bruce Willis including some of the right facial quirks. The movie also stars Emily Blunt. Looper gets 3 Mick Happies.

Movie Trailer

Quick Reviews

Just got done seeing Hotel Transylvania, the latest Sony Pictures Animation film featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Ceelo Green, Steve Buscemi and others. The daughter and I had a fun time. It is light, family entertainment and I found the suffering father werewolf with about 15 kids to be my favorite. There was a scene of he and wife in bed with all of the kids laying on him that hit home for me since my dogs were laying on me this morning. I give this one 3.5 Mick Happies.

Last night we watched Battleship, directed by Peter Berg. Yes, I know it was panned and it is based on a board game. We actually enjoyed the movie. Once you get past the premise and what is based on, it really is just a fun popcorn action flick. It is too bad that Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t on screen for longer (for my wife and her cousin who really like him), but things blow up and the good guys win (oops spoiler – like you didn’t see that coming). Again, 3.5 Mick Happies here – just don’t look for depth or realism I mean they made it all the way here you would think they could beat 3 destroyers and a battleship.

I know, right, we were surprised too!

Finally, I have been spending too many hours late at night trying to stop my own alien invasion in X-COM: Enemy Unknown on the Xbox 360. The game is great and I am still just in the beginning of it (about to restart for the third time). All I can say is you really don’t want me as your Commander as I have lost my squad at least 3 times in the last game though in my defense I had the Med Kit and just couldn’t get it to show up in my Support Class Sergeant’s action list. The tutorial is helpful and gets you started quickly. One drawback is that there is no detailed manual in the box so you will have to go get it if you get stuck like me (and it wouldn’t download on my iPod Touch). Four Mick Happies so far here. Hopefully I can keep my men and women alive on the next go – can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Quick Reviews – Recent Movies

I have been to the movies quite a bit since May and thought I would give some quick reviews of what I’ve seen. Here they are (most recent to oldest):

Katy Perry: Part of Me

My daughter and I just got back from seeing Katy Perry’s documentary/concert film depicting her California Dreams tour in 2011. The film is comprised of fan videos talking about what Katy Perry and her music mean to them, backstage footage, details of how Katy reached pop stardom and concert footage. The mixture works well to give you a sense of how great Katy is with her fans, how much she gives of herself and that behind the massive fame and popularity is a dedicated and hardworking professional.

The film is touching and sad at times as you see the toll her tour and relationship take on her, but in the end Katy doesn’t disappoint fans. It is hard to know exactly what it is like to live that kind of life, but Part of Me seems to give you a pretty open look into Katy Perry’s. I enjoyed the use of fan videos, which further helped to illustrate the link between the star and her fans. Definitely worth seeing even if you are only a casual fan of her music, which is well represented in the film (of course).  A four and a half Mick Happy film... see (hear) it soon.

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection

Enjoying Eugene Levy, we went to see Witness Protection. This was the first of Tyler Perry’s Madea movies we have seen, so it was a new experience for us. The movie is about a CFO of a hedge fund who is going to be indicted for running a Ponzi scheme. He is placed in witness protection until he can help the FBI take down the mob; who had laundered money through the fund.

Witness Protection is a fish out of water comedy about a white family staying with Madea and her dad in Atlanta. There are some laughs and the cast seems to have fun with their parts. The movie felt a lot like Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma’s House. I can give this on 3 Mick Happies.

Men in Black 3

Men in Black 3 reunites Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents tasked with protecting earth from alien threats. This particular installment of the series centers on a villain named Boris who is out to kill K (Jones) in the past. J (Smith) goes back in time to stop Boris. In the past J teams up with a younger K played well by Josh Brolin.

Men in Black 3 is a romp through 1969 with twists and turns interplayed with historical events. If you like your science fiction a bit tongue in cheek, this is movie is for you. Men in Black 3 is a return to the fun of the first Men in Black movie and I give it 3 and a half Mick Happies.

The Avengers

Having seen all of the recent Marvel superhero movies (except the Hulk movies), I was looking forward to The Avengers and it didn’t disappoint. The story for The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, centers on a team of superheroes assembled to stop Loki from taking over the earth. The Avengers team consists of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk and Hawkeye who work for Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson).

The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble in the UK) does a great job of giving each character screen time and doesn’t feel rushed. The interactions between the independent heroes as they assemble to fight Loki are great. This is the best of the Marvel movies to date and a must see if you are a fan (though if you are a fan you have probably already seen it). The only thing keeping it from getting 5 Mick Happies is the over-the-top action in the some of the later battle scenes – they really weren’t necessary. In any case, a nearly perfect superhero movie, 4 and a half Mick Happies…the next one can’t get here soon enough.

The Intouchables Review

About a week ago, my wife and daughter told me they wanted to buy a DVD for a movie called The Intouchables. They had seen the trailer online and based on what they saw they wanted to see the movie, which was available on DVD in Europe but not here in the United States. A little poking around the Internet and it wasn’t clear that version of the movie available for purchase had English subtitles. Luckily, the French movie directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano was just released here on May 25. We promptly found a Landmark Theatre playing the film and made plans for this weekend – with me joking that I was going to read a movie (though the trailer did make the film look good.)

The Intouchables is the story of a wealthy tetraplegic (quadraplegic?) named Philippe, played by Francois Cluzet, and his live-in caregiver Driss, played by Omar Sy. The film opens to the two of them stuck in traffic in Philippe’s Maserati Quattroporte. Driss pulls out of traffic, hits the throttle and takes off only to be chased by the police. Driss bets Philippe that he can get away from the police and Phillipe agrees. The scene goes on from there and I won’t ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that this is actually a point toward the end of the story and the movie then goes back to how Driss and Philippe met and proceeds from there.

The story is full of laughter and some drama as we see how these two main characters learn about each other and become more than employer and employee. I thoroughly enjoyed the believable and touching friendship between Philippe and Driss as well as the relationships between Driss and the rest of Philippe’s staff.  The entire cast did a great job, particularly Anne Le Ny as Yvonne (the head of the household staff) and Audrey Fleurot as Magalie (Philippe’s assistant). The result, a very entertaining film.

Often when I watch subtitled movies I find myself so preoccupied with reading that I miss the visuals of the film. With The Intouchables, I often forgot that I was reading (though I still was) and was instead caught up in the film. My wife, daughter and I all really enjoyed the film and left the theater ready to go get a Maserati (if you like cars…you will too.) This is one time where the movie trailer (see it below) shows you exactly what to expect from the film. I give The Intouchables five Mick Happies. Look for a theater showing this movie and go, it will be well worth your time.

Super 8 Review

There is one thing I can attest to…J.J. Abrams is on a film roll. My wife, daughter and I all liked 2009’s Star Trek and I really enjoyed Super 8 (they decided not to watch, their loss). Being the two films that Abrams directed in the last few years, I think that constitutes the start of some kind of streak.

Super 8 is a coming of age, sci-fi, quasi-action and thriller film set in 1979 in Ohio. It is the story of the events that happen in a small town when a group of middle school-aged kids witness a US Air Force train derailing in the outskirts of town. The train contains something the government doesn’t want loose, but of course it gets out.

I liked how well Abrams does at putting you in the feel of the late 1970s. I remember riding my bike all over the place the way the kids in the movie do. Granted I wasn’t into filming Super 8 movies or witness to a train wreck.  I also believed the struggle of Kyle Chandler as a recent widower and town deputy who has, through no fault of his own, been thrust into an authority role trying to make sense of what is happening in his town.

The only nits I can pick on this one might be the use of lens flares (it seems to be Abrams’ thing) and the slight suspension of disbelief needed to accept that the kids in the movie have things figured out well before the adults. Those really are nits though. If you haven’t seen this movie, get it on DVD and start watching. I give 4 Mick Happies to Super 8.

X-Men: First Class Review

I have enjoyed the X-Men for many years. I know there are those that didn’t like some of the trilogy movies or only know the movies, but I have liked X-men since I watched the cartoon on tv and then went and read the comics they were based on. I had even heard good things about X-Men: FirstClass before it came to my home from Netflix.

X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy and was directed by Matthew Vaughn. I have enjoyed several of Matthew Vaughn’s other films like Stardust and especially Kick-Ass. Here are some of the things I liked about X-Men: First Class:

·         The kids learning to use their powers

·         The cameos

·         Getting to see Professor X before he was Professor X

·         Getting to see the X-Men again in a movie

Okay, that doesn’t feel like a very long list. It isn’t. I am either becoming jaded on the whole superhero movie or it was just I was disappointed in this one. I think it was this movie. I had high expectations and it missed. I am male, so I understand and eye candy is enjoyable, but how many shots do we need in one movie specifically designed to show January Jones in her underwear? How many blow it up over the top explosions? The whole thing just fell flat for me and seemed a bit forced. There is potential there, but it never was realized in my opinion. That opinion was strengthened watching Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger soon after X-Men: First Class.

At the end of the day, I will wait patiently for the next Wolverine movie and give X-Men: First Class 2 Mick Happies.

Real Steel Review

It’s been a couple of weeks since the last review, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been stacking up things to write about. First off is Real Steel, the film starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy that is based on a short story by Richard Matheson. The movie is set in the near future where the sport of boxing has transitioned from human fighters to robots ala Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots on steroids.

I watched the film in IMAX and the visuals and sounds were great. The movie hits all of the right buttons when it comes to underdog sports stories. The parallels to Rocky and almost any other coming of age story with a kid who is reunited with his absentee father are definitely there. One of the amazing things about the movie was the complete lack of anything too overtly sexual. There is a love interest, but the PG-13 lines never even come close to being crossed. There is some violence, beyond the robot-on-robot action, but not too much.

Overall, it was an enjoyable movie that leaves you feeling good about where it ends. My main nit to pick here is the relationship between the son and Hugh Jackman’s character in the first half of the film. I don’t enjoy seeing kids treated bad by people who should be their parents, but that is just part of the plot and setup. This is a fun movie and falls somewhere between 3 and 4 Mick Happies.  We’ll call it 4 for the fun ride that it is and hope that the sequel gets the go ahead in the near future. Almost makes me want to get the Xbox Live Arcade game…almost.

Take Me Home Tonight Review

Take Me Home Tonight is a comedy about a smart college graduate, Matt Franklin, played by Topher Grace. In the movie, Matt is uncertain what to do with his future and spends one memorable night out with his best friend, Barry, played by Dan Fogler as they chase down Matt’s high school dream girl. Take Me Home Tonight is set in Los Angeles in the late 1980s and is directed by Michael Dowse. Anna Faris also stars as Matt's sister, Wendy, and Teresa Palmer as the dream girl, Tori.

The movie is a good walk down memory lane for anyone who was in high school or college in the ‘80s. Major party, Preppies, Yuppies, Goths and drugs are all in attendance along with a seriously ‘80s-tastic soundtrack. Take Me Home Tonight hits all the right notes for a high school/college romantic-comedy that will make you think back on other films from that era like Sixteen Candles, License to Drive and Say Anything.

There are some cringe-worthy moments that may make you want to fast-forward just to stop the pain. However, they are few and if you remember the '80s like me, you will likely be singing along to the soundtrack again in no time. There is also some predictability to some of the plot points, but you won’t mind since the whole package is quite fun.

In the end, I give Take Me Home Tonight 4 Mick Happies. If you catch it on DVD, be sure to look at the special features and watch the Take Me Home Tonight music video. Challenge yourself to see how many films you can name.

Source Code Review

Having the DVD of Source Code in hand, I sat down for a late night action film. The movie is written by Ben Ripley, directed by Duncan Jones, and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an Army helicopter pilot, Colter Stevens, who wakes up disoriented on a train. Within the first several minutes of the movie, as Colter tries to figure out how he got on the train and the people around him, a bomb goes off destroying the train.

The story really begins there as we quickly learn that Colter is part of a government project that allows them to place a person’s consciousness into another person who recently died and experience the last 8 minutes of their life. What follows is a gripping action film with Colter bouncing between the train and current time trying to determine what happened on the train.

What I liked about the film were the nods to time travel and alternate realities. I am a big time travel fan and thought that the premise of going back and viewing/experiencing events of someone else’s life to be intriguing. The movie has several twists and turns and doesn’t hold off on giving you answers along the way. No holding off to the end for everything to be revealed all at once, there are twists and turns all throughout the film. In some cases, the trips back to the train had a Groundhog Day feel to me. As I don’t want to spoil the movie, I will stop there.

I liked Source Code and found that it was engaging and didn’t seem to have huge, gaping plot holes. Though that could be a result of watching it at Midnight. Overall, I give the film 4 Mick Happies. Definitely worth renting or getting from Netflix to watch at home.

The Green Hornet Review

I went into The Green Hornet movie with no preconceptions. I hadn’t seen the tv series (before my time). All I knew was it was a superhero movie of sorts with some action and a cool car with gadgets. That, along with some good dialog, should be enough to keep me interested. Unfortunately, The Green Hornet couldn’t do that.

The movie is about a playboy son of a media mogul who takes a hard look at his wasted life when his father dies. From there, Britt, played by Seth Rogen, joins forces with the enigmatic Kato to take on crime in Los Angeles. They do it by posing as bad guys and driving around in a gadget-filled car called Black Beauty.

The movie started off just fine, but quickly I became uninterested in what was happening on screen. I found the dialog forced and the acting, in some places, was uneven and took me out of the film. Kato, played by Jay Chou, was the highlight of the parts of the film I did see and I would have stopped watching earlier, if not for him. In the end, I lasted about a third of the way through the movie before stopping. Cameron Diaz hadn’t even made an appearance by then.

I have to give The Green Hornet 1 Mick Happy. I would avoid this movie; it isn’t worth your time. Rather than watch the whole film, I went to Wikipedia and read the synopsis of the plot and moved on with my life.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Review

Michael Bay’s third installment of the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, continues the formula that has drawn people to see the previous two movies - robots, over the top action, some eye candy and blowing up a lot of things. Not necessarily in that order and sometimes all at once. The main problem is that like a meal of mainly rice, it fills you up, but only for a while.

I went to the movie with my family on July 4^th and saw the feature in 2D. Two and half hours, five or six trailers and $39 later, we all left with pretty much the same conclusion. Yes, all of the awesome robots are back. Yes, there are even more of them, though you don’t really know where they came from unless you pay close attention. Yes, the action is so frenetic that you will be tired after its all said and done and you won’t be able to catch it all even if you watch the movie three times. This is great and the movie works if you are only looking to switch off your brain and just experience the spectacle. It is only after you step out and start discussing it that you realize that you aren’t feeling as good about it as you thought.

What we liked was the return of Wheelie and the introduction of another small Autobot, Brains. The overall banter in the movie was pretty good and did bring out laughs and smiles, but these two little bots had some of the best. Even Sam’s parents are back and provide more cringe-worthy commentary to embarrass their son. I won’t go into things we didn’t like; I don’t want to spoil anything for you. However, here are a couple things that would make the next Transformers movie better:

1.     Have a love interest, or leading woman who can actually do more than be there for the male characters to look at or fight over.

2.     Have a rationale for where the new ‘bots have come from and have it fit into the overall plot rather than be explained away in a single line of dialogue.

3.     Don’t have another cranky, drunk on power, government agent.

4.     More Cybertron, please.

5.     Slow down the action or reduce the amount going on at any one time, you just can’t see it all.

The only nit I will pick about this movie is that it’s difficult to believe that after saving the world twice and graduating college that Sam would be unemployed rather than working for the government with the Autobots. Not a spoiler per se as this comes up in the first 5 – 10 minutes of the movie.

Final rating for this one is 3 Mick Happies. It works as a brainless spectacle, but the thinness of plot may not hold up for multiple viewing. It is worth seeing (robot on robot action always is) but watch it on your big screen at home, if you can wait that long.